The U.S. House of Representatives Small Business Committee held a hearing on April 14 entitled Regulation Nation: The Hidden Small Business Tax, which examined the cost of new federal regulations to entrepreneurs in the small business community. During the hearing, members of the Committee heard from several small business owners who cited high compliance costs and expensive new mandates as a major impediment to expanding their businesses. Read the rest of entry »

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 15– Construction shoulders a bigger tax burden than any other industry in the United States with an effective rate over 30 percent, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) responded to the report by urging lawmakers to pass tax reform that would encourage economic growth by lowering rates for both corporate and pass-through businesses.
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On March 17, a group of lawmakers introduced ABC-supported legislation that would prevent the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) from implementing its overtime proposal. The proposed rule issued last June more than doubles the salary threshold to qualify as a white-collar employee exempt from federal overtime pay requirements and would automatically increase the salary levels on an annual basis.Read the rest of entry »

In the wee hours of the morning last Friday, the New York State Legislature passed the budget for 2016-2017. They passed it late and with little or no time to review it before voting. It’s not the way budgets should get passed, but in New York it seems to be the pattern. This budget has long term implications to the merit shop community and taxpayers in general. There are items that impact our industry, both good and bad. It’s our duty to compress the more than 10,000 pages into a short presentation that helps you get the information you need.Read the rest of entry »

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), ABC of Arkansas and a coalition of stakeholders announced today they have filed a joint lawsuit challenging the final “persuader rule” issued by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) on March 24, 2016. The legal challenge was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas.
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Associated Builders and Contractors, Empire State is the voice of the merit shop in the New York construction industry. We believe the merit shop movement is a movement for the betterment of the individual... the construction industry... and the nation..